INOUYE

Quit Hating On Byrd

By

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who "has seniority to replace" Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) atop the Appropriations Cmte, "said Byrd is being subjected to an unfair level of scrutiny not applied to past chairmen." Inouye: "I've been here for 45 years, and I've served under Appropriations chairmen who have been shot, who have been in the hospital, who have been on their deathbed. I've served under Strom Thurmond. And no one demanded that they step aside." More: "This is unusual. If someone has a problem, we all step in to help. Now all of a sudden they want to throw people out? That's not the way to do it" (Rushing, The Hill, 4/14).